Remember your unit is responsible for YPT compliance and record keeping. The council provides the water safety and qualified instructors to approve the swims. That means you need to have sufficient adults present.

These pre-camp swim checks are very important for many boys. Some boys are not strong swimmers. Some boys have never swum in dirty lake water before, even if they are the swim team. I have seen good swimmers and bad swimmers fail the swim test on the first Sunday of camp simply because they don’t like lake water.

By having them qualify for their swimmer rating for the year at a pre-camp swim test, you give them the opportunity to adapt to the lake water as part of their merit badge classes rather than at swim test. Less pressure. Greater likelihood of success.

Most importantly, your arrival at camp on Sunday is far less hectic. You don’t need to rush the boys down to the waterfront then back up to camp to get set up. They can focus on set up then orientation.